A Yankee in the Trenches eBook

Over there you will find a lot of attractive girls
and women. Most any girl is attractive when you
are just out of the misery of the trenches. Be
careful of them. Remember the country has been
full of soldiers for three years. Don’t
make love too easily. One of the singers in the
Divisional Follies recently revived the once popular
music-hall song, “If You Can’t Be Good
Be Careful.” It should appeal to the soldier
as much as “Smile, smile, smile”, and is
equally good advice. For the sake of those at
home and for the sake of your own peace of mind come
back from overseas clean.

After all it is possible to no more than give hints
to the boys who are going. All of you will have
to learn by experience. My parting word to you
all is just, “The best of luck.”

GLOSSARY OF ARMY SLANG

All around traverse — A machine gun placed on
a swivel to turn in any direction.

Ammo — Ammunition. Usually for rifles,
though occasionally used to indicate that for artillery.

Argue the toss — Argue the point.

Back of the line — Anywhere to the rear and
out of the danger zone.

Barbed wire — Ordinary barbed wire used for
entanglements. A thicker and heavier military
wire is sometimes used.

Barrage — Shells dropped simultaneously and
in a row so as to form a curtain of fire. Literal
translation “a barrier.”

Bashed — Smashed.

Big boys — Big guns or the shells they send
over.

Big push — The battles of the Somme.

Billets — The quarters of the soldier when back
of the line.
Any place from a pigpen to a palace.

Bleeder or Blighter — Cockney slang for fellow.
Roughly corresponding to American “guy.”

Blighty — England. East Indian derivation.
The paradise looked forward to by all good soldiers,—­and
all bad ones too.

Blighty one — A wound that will take the soldier
to Blighty.

Bloody — The universal Cockney adjective.
It is vaguely supposed to be highly obscene, though
just why nobody seems to know.

Blooming — A meaningless and greatly used adjective.
Applied to anything and everything.

Bomb — A hand grenade.

Bully beef — Corned beef, high grade and good
of the kind, if you like the kind. It sets hard
on the chest.

Carry on — To go ahead with the matter in hand.

Char — Tea. East Indian derivation.

Chat — Officers’ term for cootie; supposed
to be more delicate.

Click — Variously used. To die. To
be killed. To kill. To draw some disagreeable
job, as: I clicked a burial fatigue.

Communication trench — A trench leading up to
the front trench.

Consolidate — To turn around and prepare for
occupation a captured trench.